Dinaciclib in Treating Patients With Stage III-IV Melanoma

Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients must have histologically confirmed, unresectable stage III or stage IV malignant melanoma
* ECOG performance status =\< 1
* Absolute neutrophil count \>= 1.5 x 10\^9/L
* Platelets \>= 100 x 10\^9/L
* Total bilirubin within normal institutional limits
* AST(SGOT)/ALT(SGPT =\< 1.5 x institutional upper limit of normal
* Creatinine =\< 1.5 mg/dl OR
* Creatinine clearance \>= 50 mL/min for patients with creatinine levels above institutional normal
* Women of child-bearing potential and men must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) prior to study entry and for the duration of study participation; should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately
* Eligible patients must agree to pre- and post-treatment biopsies of normal skin; in the phase 1 part of the study, patients with cutaneous disease or accessible lymph nodes must also agree to pre- and post-treatment tumor biopsies; in the phase 2 part of the study, tumor biopsies are required of the first 20 patients enrolled who have cutaneous disease or accessible lymph nodes
* Patients enrolled to the Phase 2 portion of the study must have measurable disease by RECIST criteria
* Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients who have had chemotherapy or radiotherapy within 3 weeks (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin C) prior to entering the study or those who have not recovered from adverse events due to agents administered more than 3 weeks earlier
* Patients may not be receiving any other investigational agents
* Patients with active CNS metastases are excluded; patients with a history of CNS metastases that have been treated must be stable for 4 weeks after completion of treatment, with image documentation required; patients must not be taking enzyme-inducing anticonvulsants and must be either off steroids or be receiving a stable dose of steroids
* Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements
* Pregnant women are excluded from this study; breastfeeding should be discontinued if the mother is treated with SCH727965
* HIV-positive patients on combination antiretroviral therapy are ineligible because of the potential for pharmacokinetic interactions with SCH727965; in addition, these patients are at increased risk of lethal infections when treated with marrow-suppressive therapy; appropriate studies will be undertaken in patients receiving combination antiretroviral therapy when indicated
* Patients with other currently active malignancies are excluded, except those with an in-situ cancer or basal or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin
* In the phase 2 part of the study, patients who have received prior investigational treatment with a cdk inhibitor are excluded